Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Levism84 06-30-04, 11:09 PM	Hey. I was wondering, would a character I am making take penalties to certain stats if he had common problems with certain parts of his body? Example: Deaf in one ear- Would he have a 50/50 chance of not getting his listen check because it was made on the wrong side? Blind in one eye- Would he take a penalty to his ranged attacks if he didn’t have binocular vision? Tone Death- Would he take penalties to perform music checks (and possibly gain a bonus to saves against musical effect spells) if he couldn’t pick out a tone? Color Blind- Would he take penalties to his spot or search check (or something get a bonus to its hide check) if he cannot pick out colors? I was just wondering because I wanted to make a character who might have a quirk like that, even though it would probably provide a penalty or two. Any suggestions, ideas, or comments?
Persephone Imytholin 07-01-04, 12:00 AM	I'd suggest that, instead of imposing penalties, you should just make the character (skills and all) reflect the disadvantages you want to roleplay. Failing that... Deafness: If you're entirely deaf on one side, that's easy. Don't make the check. If it's partial deafness, maybe the standard -2 could help - being on a character development board, after all, implies you're not looking to max out Spot and Listen. Blindness: If you add an extra -1 for each range increment, you might get what you're after. Tone deafness: Why would a tone deaf character be interested in performing music anyway? I'd suggest a -2, if you must - but no bonus to saves. Plenty of tone deaf people listen to music just fine. Colourblindness: It depends. If you're red-green colourblind trying to see red stuff in a forest, then a -2 might be in order. If colour doesn't matter, then no penalty is called for. If you're completely colour blind, then apply a penalty to things that'd be hard to pick out in a B&W photo. That way, you get penalties which you can feel, but that don't cripple the party or the game. And watch out for that tone death. Nasty, that.